How to Claim

First and foremost, sign your ticket! You should always sign the back of your Lottery ticket as soon as you purchase it. This will help prevent someone else from claiming a prize on your Florida Lottery ticket if it is lost or stolen, or if someone tries to scratch out, white out or change your signature.

All Draw game prizes must be claimed at a Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office on or before the 180th day after the winning drawing. All Scratch-Off and Fast Play game prizes must be claimed at a Florida Lottery retailer or Lottery office on or before the 60th day after the official end of the game. For faster payment, Florida Lottery winners should complete the information on the back of their winning ticket and take it to any retailer for validation. The ticket issued is the only valid receipt for claiming a prize.

General questions about claiming prizes may be answered by Florida Lottery district offices, the Player Information Line at (850) 487-7787, or by contacting our Customer Service Office. We recommend that players contact the Florida Lottery district office in their area to confirm the hours of operation for same-day payment and to confirm the necessary documentation for their claim to be processed.

Where to Claim

In Person:

Prizes of less than $600 may be claimed at any authorized retailer, Florida Lottery district offices, or at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. Prizes of less than $600 do not require the completion of a Florida Lottery Winner Claim Form, unless the player is specifically directed by either a Florida Lottery retailer or a Florida Lottery official to file a claim.

Prizes of $600 to $250,000 may be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office or at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.

MEGA MILLIONS® and POWERBALL® prizes up to $1 million may be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office or at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. All other prizes greater than $250,000 must be claimed at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.

For prizes with an annual payment option, players should arrive at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee by 2:00 PM for sufficient processing time.

Players should call the Player Information Line at (850) 487-7787 or TDD (850) 487-7784 for instructions and assistance.

By Mail:

All winning tickets of $250,000 or less may be mailed to the Florida Lottery for prize payment.To claim your prize by mail, simply mail the ticket(s) and the documentation below listed under "Required Documentation" to:

The envelope in which a ticket is mailed must be postmarked on or before the 60th day after the official end of game for a Scratch-Off ticket or Fast Play ticket and on or before the 180th day after the winning drawing for a Draw ticket.

U.S. Postal Service regulations include various restrictions on mailing Lottery tickets. The risk of mailing tickets remains with the player and will not be assumed by the Lottery.

Required Documentation

To claim a prize of $600 or more, the player must:

Complete a Florida Lottery Winner Claim Form. You may download a Winner Claim Form in PDF format, also available in Spanish; however, you will need Acrobat Reader to view the PDF file. To obtain a Florida Lottery Winner Claim Form, visit any retailer, district office or write to: Florida Lottery Customer Service Division, 250 Marriott Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-9939.

Present one form of identification that is current or was issued within the past five years and bears a serial number or other identifying number. Acceptable forms of identification include:

An identification card or driver's license issued by a public agency authorized to issue driver's licenses in Florida, a state other than Florida, a territory of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.

A passport issued by the U.S. Department of State.

A passport issued by a foreign government for non-annual payment option prizes & prizes that do not require a notarized affidavit.

A passport issued by a foreign government stamped by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services for annual payment option prizes or for prizes that require a notarized affidavit.

An identification card issued by any branch of the U.S. armed forces.

An identification card issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Players should provide all documentation required to pay a prize at the time the claim is filed with the Lottery. If a Draw game ticket has been validated by a retailer and the prize was not paid, the ticket and all required documents must be received by the Lottery on or before the 210th day after the draw date. If the ticket has not been validated by a retailer, the envelope and its contents must be postmarked on or before the 180th day after the draw date. For Scratch-Off or Fast Play tickets that have been validated by a retailer, all documentation required to pay a prize must be submitted to the Lottery on or before the 90th day after the official end of the game. If the Scratch-Off or Fast Play ticket has not been validated by a retailer, the envelope and its contents must be postmarked on or before the 60th day after the official game close. If all required documentation is not received by the Lottery by the 210th or 90th day, as applicable, the prize will be forfeited.

Privacy Act Notice:

Under the Federal Privacy Act, disclosure of a person's Social Security number is voluntary unless a Federal statute specifically requires such disclosure or allows states to collect the number. For claimants of Florida Lottery prizes valued at $600 or more, disclosure is required by 26 U.S.C. s. 3402 and 26 U.S.C. s. 6109 for tax withholding and reporting purposes. Social Security numbers will also be used to determine whether a claimant owes an outstanding debt to a state agency or child support collected through a court, pursuant to Section 24.115, Florida Statutes.

Prize Options

Annuities:

FLORIDA LOTTO®, MEGA MILLIONS® and POWERBALL® jackpot prizes may be paid in 30 annual installments, and LUCKY MONEY™ jackpot prizes may be paid in 25 annual installments. CASH4LIFE Grand Prize and second prize may be paid for the natural life of the winner. Certain Scratch-Off games that offer an annual payment option may be paid in annual installments in accordance with the rule for that game.

Cash option:

FLORIDA LOTTO, MEGA MILLIONS, POWERBALL, LUCKY MONEY, CASH4LIFE and certain Scratch-Off games also offer a Cash Option method of payment – a one-time, lump-sum payment that jackpot winners may choose to receive instead of receiving their winnings in annual payments. Payment may be made by check or by wire transfer to a bank or brokerage account in the winner's name; however, the Lottery strongly recommends the wire transfer method of payment. A winner electing the wire transfer method of payment must provide the Lottery with a void check or wire transfer instructions to a financial institution. FLORIDA LOTTO, MEGA MILLIONS, POWERBALL, LUCKY MONEY and CASH4LIFE annual payment option winners who want the Cash Option payment must claim their prizes within the first 60 days after the draw date. If the prize is not claimed within the first 60 days of the redemption period, it will be paid out in annual payments.

Free Quick Pick Tickets:

FLORIDA LOTTO® with XTRA players who match 2-of-6 winning numbers, LUCKY MONEY players who match only the winning Lucky Ball number, and FANTASY 5™ players who match 2-of-5 winning numbers will win a free Quick Pick ticket for the same game for the next available drawing. Players may claim their free Quick Pick tickets at any Florida Lottery retailer. Once a free Quick Pick ticket has printed, it cannot be canceled. Out-of-state players who mail in FLORIDA LOTTO with XTRA tickets that match 2-of-6 winning numbers, LUCKY MONEY tickets that match only the winning Lucky Ball number, or FANTASY 5 tickets that match 2-of-5 winning numbers will receive a check for the value of the free ticket(s), instead of the free Quick Pick ticket(s) due to U.S. Postal regulations, which prohibit the mailing of Lottery tickets across state lines.

Federal Withholding Taxes:

Appropriate federal income taxes will be withheld from both Cash Option and annual payments at the time payments are made. If a Florida Lottery prizewinner is a U.S. citizen or resident alien with a Social Security number, the Internal Revenue Service requires the Florida Lottery to withhold 25 percent federal withholding tax from prizes greater than $5,000. If the prizewinner is a U.S. citizen or resident alien who does not have a Social Security number, the Florida Lottery is required to withhold 28 percent federal withholding tax from any prize of $600 or more. For nonresident aliens, the Florida Lottery is required to withhold 30 percent federal withholding tax from all prize amounts. The Internal Revenue Service requires the Florida Lottery to report all winnings of $600 or more for U.S. citizens and resident aliens. For information on Lottery prizes and your Federal tax obligations visit: www.irs.gov.

All Florida MEGA MILLIONS, POWERBALL, CASH4LIFE, and Fast Play prizes must be claimed in Florida.

How To Care For Your Ticket

Store your ticket in a safe place until you are ready to redeem it.

DO NOT expose your ticket to extreme sunlight or heat including from irons, dryers or windowpanes.

DO NOT laminate Lottery tickets.

DO NOT expose your ticket to fatty substances such as oil, butter or milk.

DO NOT submerge your ticket underwater. Water will affect a ticket if it is submerged for a prolonged period of time.

If your ticket is damaged, a Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery office may be able to redeem your ticket if the barcode or ticket number is legible.